The Mummy: A Disappointing Start to Universal’s ‘Dark Universe’

With Universal recently announcing their plans for the ‘Dark Universe’, a classic monster movie universe, similar to the MCU and DCEU, The Mummy had a lot of pressure as the first outing in the franchise. Unfortunately, The Mummy is a disappointing start to the franchise and failed to live up to expectations.

Directed by Alex Kurtzman and starring Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis (Peaky Blinders), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Jake Johnson and Russell Crowe, The Mummy follows soldier-of-fortune Nick Morton as he accidentally awakens a vengeful ancient princess named Ahmanet, who is hellbent on fulfilling the destiny she was promised.

The big problem with The Mummy is that it is incredibly dull. None of the action set-pieces feel fresh or inspired and there are no genuine scares at all. It feels like a bad Mission Impossible film with supernatural elements.

The attempt to establish the Dark Universe is also another big issue in the film. As Dr. Henry Jekyll, head of an organisation named Prodigium, Russell Crowe acts as the Nick Fury figure who will tie all further instalments in the Dark Universe together. Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe however, the Dark Universe feels both forced and rushed, therefore preventing The Mummy from working on its own terms. And the less said about Crowe’s performance, the better.

One thing that The Mummy has going for it, however, is a fabulous physical performance from Sofia Boutella as Ahmanet. Despite having very shaky material to work with, her physical presence manages to really convey the character as a real force to be reckoned with. It’s too bad that that she has very little to do, because she really is terrific.